[Vision2020] 50 Green Tips for Earth Day and Beyond

[debismith at moscow.com]

Thanks, Ted. As someone who has taken a lot of flack for my philosophy of Use Everything At 
Least Three Times, I appreciate it when others support the greening ideals. I'm fascinated with 
the ingenious ways folks around the country, and the world, are finding to attempt to slow our 
environmental degradations. From sustainable manufacturing, to recycling, to down- cycling, to 
green building---every little bit helps. I've recently heard about seed savers who are banking 
seeds for a possible exodus of the planet...hope that's not what happens, but unless 
something changes radically we may be going to the stars to survive as a species.
Debi R-S


Date sent:      	Sun, 22 Apr 2007 16:04:00 -0700
From:           	"Ted Moffett" <starbliss at gmail.com>
To:             	"Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject:        	[Vision2020] 50 Green Tips for Earth Day and Beyond

http://divinecaroline.com/article/22355/28177


1. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.

2. Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse
everything at least once, especially plastics.

3. Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and
toilets.

4. Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.

5. Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge
<http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/>and
FoodRoutes<http://www.foodroutes.org/>to get started. Buy locally made
products and locally produced services.

6. Buy in season.

7. Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. You'll find more on
energy-efficient products and practices at Energy Star.
<http://www.energystar.gov/>

8. Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Unplug
your cell phone charger from the wall when not using it. Turn off
energy strips and surge protectors when not in use (especially
overnight).

9. Recycle your newspapers.

10. Car pool. Connect with other commuters at
eRideShare.<http://www.erideshare.com/>

11. Consider a car sharing service like Zipcar.
<http://www.zipcar.com/>

12. Ride a bike.

13. Walk, jog, or run.

14. Go to your local library instead of buying new books.

15. At holidays and birthdays, give your family and friends the gift
of saving the earth. Donate to their favorite environmental group,
foundation, or organization.

16. Get off junk mail lists. GreenDimes <http://www.greendimes.com/>
can get you started. They'll even plant a tree for you!

17. Buy products that use recyclable materials whenever possible.

18. If you use plastic grocery bags, recycle them for doggie poop bags
or for small trashcan liners.

19. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Given a choice between
plastic and paper, opt for paper.

20. Buy locally. Find farmers' markets, family farms, and other
sources of sustainably grown food near you at
LocalHarvest.<http://www.localharvest.org/>

21. Consider organic cleaning
products<http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22156/27357>like
vinegar, borax, and baking soda.

22. If you have a baby, consider using cloth diapers. To sign up for a
diaper service to do the dirty work, check out the National
Association of Diaper Services. <http://www.diapernet.org/>

23. Consider buying a fuel-efficient car or a hybrid.

24. Landscape with native plants. Check out the
article<http://www.epa.gov/greenacres/>on the EPA
website. <http://www.epa.gov/>

25. Opt into a clean energy program. Check out the Green Power
Network<http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/>at the US Department of
Energy.

26. Go paperless. Consider reading your newspaper and magazine
subscriptions online. Switch to electronic banking and credit card
payment, too.

27. Teach kids about the environment.

28. Take your batteries to a recycling center. Earth 911 gives you the
scoop<http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=lib&a=electronics/bat_index
.asp> .

29. Turn your car off if you're going to be idle for more than one
minute.

30. Do full loads of laundry and set the rinse cycle to "cold."

31. Recycle. If you're not at home, take the extra steps, (literally),
to find that recycling can.

32. Reuse. Plastic food containers make good crayon and marker
holders. Use padded envelops more than once. Buy your toddler or
preschooler's clothes from a thrift shop and give away those that
don't fit to friends.
Goodwill<http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about>or the Salvation
Army <http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn.nsf> can help.

33. Limit the length of your showers. Even better, take a "navy
shower," shutting off the water while soaping up and shampooing.

34. Don't run the water when brushing your teeth. Learn about water
scarcity<http://www.unwater.org/flashindex.html> .

35. Wash towels after several uses.

36. Purchase one case of water and provide clean
water<http://charityis.com/videos/charity_water.wmv>to 24 people (for
over twenty years).

37. Give away your goods and find new ones at
FreeCycle.<http://www.freecycle.com/>

38. Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM,
among others, offer recycling programs.

39. Go zero! Log on to the Conservation Fund's Carbon Zero
Calculator<http://www.conservationfund.org/?article=3128&back=true%20I
>and in less than five minutes, you can measure and then offset your
carbon dioxide emissions by planting trees.

40. Put your money where your mouth is—invest in green investments.
Web sites like Co-op America's National Green
Pages™<http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/>can help.

41. Learn about threats to ocean life and help
Greenpeace<http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/oceans/threats>take
action.

42. Whenever you can, try using green cleaning products. Check out
Cheap, Clean, and Green
<http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22156/23878>.

43. Find your local watershed <http://www.epa.gov/surf/> and learn how
to protect it.

44. Build a greener home.
<http://www.nrdc.org/cities/building/fwoodus.asp>

45. Opt for eco-friendly and holistic health
products<http://www.greenpeople.org/>
.

46. Good to the last drop. Switch to fair trade
coffee.<http://www.transfairusa.org/>

47. Go paperless at work. Distribute company information and post
company material online.

48. Eliminate junk mail at work. For no fee, the EcoLogical Mail
Coalition<http://www.ecologicalmail.org/> will
eliminate the junk that former employees receive at work.

49. Plant a forest and feed a
family<http://www.sustainableharvest.org/forestsfeedfamilies.cfm>while
you're at it.

50. Shop smart. Choose eco-smart products.
<http://www.greenerchoices.org/>

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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett